Finally, Something that Works

I was at my neurologist's office last week and one of the doctors who was standing too close to me with his uncapped black ballpoint pen in hand made a nice long black ink mark on the sleeve of my bright yellow blouse. I thought that was the end of my blouse because I've never had luck with ink stain removal. I've tried ideas that I've read online (rubbing alcohol, hairspray, laundry pretreatments, etc) and absolutely nothing has worked. I lost a favorite pair of pants a couple of years ago because of a pen that sneaked its way into the laundry.

A friend who is a big Real Simple fan suggested I check Real Simple's website for an idea. Here's their answer to the ballpoint ink dilemma:

Put glycerin on the spot, then treat with a detergent like Woolite and very little water. Gently rub to form suds and rinse.

I got a bottle of glycerin from the drugstore, rushed home and followed their instructions. I was very skeptical but when I pulled my blouse out of the dryer the next morning there was no hint of black ink anywhere. It was a miracle!

Real Simple has a comprehensive stain removal guide here. I'll be keeping this guide handy.